How to Fix VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE Blue Screen Step by Step

VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE (often with nvlddmkm.sys, amdkmdag.sys, or igdkmd64.sys in brackets) means Windows tried to reset a hung graphics driver and failed. The screen freezes for a couple of seconds, maybe flickers, then the blue screen hits. It’s jarring, but the fix path is well mapped.

The strategy: remove every trace of the bad graphics driver and install a clean, stable one, then address heat, overclocks, and power. Follow the steps in order — each one eliminates a category of causes. If your crashes involve other driver stop codes too, our driver power state failure guide covers the related family of errors.

Why this happens

• Corrupted or buggy GPU driver: The number one cause — a bad install, a regression in a new release, or remnants of an old driver conflicting with the new one.
• Unstable overclock: Factory or manual GPU/memory overclocks that aren’t fully stable under sustained load.
• Overheating: Dust-clogged fans or dried thermal paste pushing the GPU past its thermal limit during games or video.
• Insufficient or unstable power: A failing charger or degraded battery on a laptop starving the GPU under load.
• Failing GPU hardware: Least common, but possible — usually shows artifacts (glitches, colored blocks) before crashing.
• Conflicting software: Screen recorders, overlays, and “game booster” utilities hooking into the graphics pipeline.

How to fix it

Work through these in order. The clean driver reinstall in Fix 2 resolves most cases on its own.

Fix 1: Note which driver file is named

The stop code usually names the failing driver — that tells you which GPU to focus on.

1. When the blue screen appears, look for the filename in parentheses after VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE.
2. nvlddmkm.sys means NVIDIA, amdkmdag.sys means AMD, igdkmd64.sys or igdkmdnd64.sys means Intel graphics.
3. If you can’t catch it in time, disable automatic restart after a BSOD so the screen stays put.
4. Write the filename down — you’ll need it in Fix 2.

Fix 2: Clean-reinstall the graphics driver with DDU

A standard driver update often leaves the corrupted files in place. Display Driver Uninstaller removes everything, so the fresh install starts clean.

1. Download Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) from its official site and the latest stable graphics driver from the manufacturer — NVIDIA , AMD , or Intel’s driver tool — but don’t install the driver yet.
2. Disconnect from the internet (unplug Ethernet or turn off Wi-Fi) so Windows Update can’t sneak in its own driver mid-process.
3. Boot into Safe Mode (Settings > System > Recovery > Advanced startup > Restart, then Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings).
4. Run DDU, select your GPU brand, and click Clean and restart.
5. After reboot, install the driver you downloaded — choose Custom install and tick Clean installation if the installer offers it.
6. Reconnect to the internet and test with the game or video that used to crash.

Fix 3: Roll back if a recent update started it

If the crashes began right after a driver update, the new driver itself is the problem.

1. Open Device Manager (Win + X), expand Display adapters, and double-click your GPU.
2. Go to the Driver tab and click Roll Back Driver; pick the reason and confirm.
3. If the button is greyed out, use DDU (Fix 2) and manually install the previous driver version from the manufacturer’s archive.
4. Consider pausing driver updates: in Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options, toggle off Receive updates for other Microsoft products, or use the manufacturer’s control panel to block auto-updates.

Fix 4: Remove overclocks and reset GPU settings

An overclock that’s stable in benchmarks can still TDR-crash in specific games.

1. If you use MSI Afterburner or similar, reset everything to stock clocks and close the tool.
2. In the NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Software, restore default 3D settings.
3. For laptops with manufacturer overclocking utilities (often preinstalled on gaming models), set them to Balanced or stock.
4. Test stability for a few days before reapplying any overclock — and stress-test properly if you do.

Fix 5: Fix overheating

Heat-induced TDR failures creep in gradually as dust builds up or thermal paste ages.

1. Install HWiNFO or your GPU maker’s monitoring tool and watch temperatures during the crashing workload.
2. Sustained temperatures above 85–90°C on a laptop GPU are a red flag.
3. Blast dust from vents and fans with compressed air (short bursts, fans held still).
4. On older laptops, consider a repaste — dried thermal paste is a classic cause of load-only crashes. This means opening the laptop, so only attempt it if you’re comfortable; otherwise a repair shop charges modestly for it.
5. Use a cooling pad and keep rear vents unobstructed during heavy use.

Fix 6: Rule out power problems

A GPU that can’t draw stable power will hang exactly the way TDR describes.

1. Always game and render on the original charger, plugged directly into the wall — not a dock or underpowered USB-C adapter.
2. Check the charger brick for excessive heat or damage, and try a known-good charger if you have one.
3. In Settings > System > Power & battery, set the power mode to Best performance while testing.
4. If crashes only happen on battery, the battery may be too degraded to sustain GPU boost clocks — check its health report with powercfg /batteryreport.

Fix 7: Adjust the TDR delay as a diagnostic step

Lengthening the timeout Windows allows before resetting the GPU can distinguish a slow driver from a truly hung one.

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers.
2. Create a new DWORD (32-bit) named TdrDelay and set it to 8 (seconds, up from the default 2).
3. Optionally add TdrDdiDelay set to 10.
4. Restart and test. If crashes stop, the driver was just slow (common with heavy scenes); still update the driver, because the underlying slowness remains.
5. If crashes continue unchanged, the GPU is genuinely hanging — revert the values (delete the keys) and continue to Fix 8.

Fix 8: Test the GPU hardware

If everything software-side is clean, test the hardware itself.

1. Run a GPU stress test like FurMark or 3DMark and watch for artifacts — colored blocks, flickering textures, or geometry glitches point to dying VRAM or a dying core.
2. If your laptop has switchable graphics, force the crashing app to the integrated GPU (Settings > System > Display > Graphics) — if crashes stop, the discrete GPU is the problem.
3. Run sfc /scannow and DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth from an admin Terminal to rule out system-file involvement.
4. Persistent artifacts under load after a clean driver install mean the GPU is failing — back up your data and talk to the manufacturer about repair options while the laptop is still usable.

Closing

VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE is a driver problem until proven otherwise: clean-reinstall with DDU, undo bad updates and overclocks, then check heat and power. The TDR delay tweak and stress tests are your tiebreakers when the obvious fixes don’t stick. Take it step by step and you’ll either fix the crash or know with confidence that the hardware needs professional attention.

Frequently asked questions